The Skies That Watch The World
by Not-Always-Fanfiction
Summary: One world crumbles, and another falls to chaos. Everything dances in her hand. And the skies only sit and watch, waiting for their vessels to set everything right. AU based on OVA. Hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: First Contact

Time: 8:03 AM

Location: New York, NY, USA.

Date: December 21st. 2012 C.C.E./0000 I.E.

The streets of Manhattan were filled with the noise of busy traffic. The roar of car engines in rush hour seemed to rebound off of the tall skyscrapers that stood imperiously over all. Thousands of people walked up and down the sidewalks, their individual conversations blurring into a shapeless mass. Many wore business suits, and they talked into their phones distractedly, ignoring the populace surrounding them. Others wore casual clothes, with sweaters or parkas clenched to their body as they ate their fast food breakfasts. The traffic lights flickered; doing the job they had been made to do, ignorant of the hate filled glares they received whenever they turned red. It was a normal day in the metropolis city and financial capital of the world, and it would have been impossible to not notice this.

The girl took no notice.

She stood on the very edge of a sidewalk corner, a faint smile on her lips. She was young, no more than fourteen at best. She had extremely pale skin, so pale that it could be considered white, and it was in stark contrast with her long ebony hair and matching dress. The piece of clothing in question was flamboyant and frilly, with a pale blue ribbon tied to the bottom left of the front, and its long sleeves changed into gloves that covered their wearer's hands. From the sides of her hear curved two, black, vertebrae like horns, adding a whole foot to her height. But these were not the most striking things about her, no, far from it. That place was reserved for her eyes: those large, pale, neon green irises, in which a ring circled each pupil. Those eyes would cause many to stop and stare at her, but yet, none did.

The foot traffic seemed to part around her, but yet none seemed to even realize she was there, or that they were changing their direction of movement at all. At one point, a man carrying a saxophone case in his right hand turned to the left avoid her, but it appeared as if the case in his hand would ram into the little girl. Instead, it twisted to the right, and the man moved with his arm passing over her head, not even realizing her had done so.

The girl took no notice.

Instead, she started to hum to herself, and held her hands out to her sides, the crowd moving to avoid them, and looked down at her feet. Without hesitating, she lifted her right foot off of the ground, and placed it delicately in front of her left, as if she were walking on a tightrope. She began to move forward, placing one foot front of the other, into the center of traffic.

As soon as she started to move, people began to notice her. A few called out, and car horns blared as their drivers swerved to avoid her, crashing into each other in their haste to avoid her. The damage began to pile up around the edges, and it soon became obvious that many different insurance companies would have to pay up.

The girl took no notice.

She continued to walk into the center of the intersection, still slowly placing one foot in front of the other. A small, mischievous smile adorned her porcelain face, but it seemed to stem from some kind of inner amusement, for she did not eve react to the goings on around her.

Angry drivers began to get out of their cars, some yelling at each other, others yelling at the inattentive girl, and yet still others frantically yelling for someone to call nine one one. A few ignored them, starring at the strange girl who had been the cause of it all.

The girl took no notice.

She stopped walking when the toes of her left foot met the edge of a manhole cover, and her right foot hurried to join its fellow. Her small smile grew, until it became a white-toothed grin, with the corners nearly reaching her ears. What those observing her found disturbing, was that this description was quite literal.

The girl crouched down, placing her left arm on her knees, while she reached down with her right. She hooked one of her fingers beneath the edge of the cover with no difficulty, and with a seemingly bored flick, as if she were beckoning one closer to her, she flipped the cover high into the air.

It spun as it ascended, before it came crashing down to the pavement a few feet from her. When it had stopped spinning, all sound in the surrounding area seemed to have died, murdered by the girl's simple, yet inhuman action.

The girl took no notice.

Instead she, placed her gloved hands on the edge of the manhole, and she leaned down, sticking her head into where the sewer system would be. She made a long, low, cooing sound. It resounded throughout the silence, and it caused chills to travel up the spines of many.

The seconds stretched by, and just when a man had worked up the courage to walk towards the girl, she received a response. It was a loud hissing, and it brought terrible images to the minds of many. The his dragged on for an unknown, seemingly endless amount of seconds. When the sound had finally faded, a slithering began to echo through the streets. Smiling, the girl made a strange, mangled, garbling sound. To every person there, it sounded something like…an encouragement.

As the slithering grew louder, she pulled away, and a large, clawed, skeletal hand reached out of the manhole. It was covered in slime green scales that hung from it, as if there was no flesh separating them from the bone. It slammed into the ground, the claws digging into the pavement underneath it. The arm became tense, and the ground shook as something neared the surface.

A head was the second thing to come out, a long, sinewy, boney, draconic head. It was the same color as its arm, and its eyes appeared to have sunk into its skull. Twin obsidian horns spiraled up from either side of its head, and it was followed by a long, frail neck, with black spines jaggedly traveling along its apex. When the neck began to widen out, the ground shuddered again, and it stopped. It pulled back a bit, before rising with a slightly greater increase in speed than it did before. It stopped suddenly, and the ground shook violently.

Letting out an annoyed hiss, the dragon lunged forward, pulling the rest of its skeletal, scaly body behind it. Once it had fully emerged, revealing its thirty feet of length to all who watched, and had resettled its wings on its back, it brought its head down to nuzzled the girl before it. Giggling, the ebon haired girl wrapped her arms around its muzzle, cooing sweet nothings to it. The dragon almost closed its eyes, but then it noticed the audience that surrounded them. A long, black tongue, snaked out between its jaws, and it traveled along its scaly lips. A single scream rang out through the following silence.

The girl was shaken out of her trance, and she looked in the general direction of where the scream had come from, before a smirk played across her face, and she whispered something to the large creature before her. The dragon rumbled deep in its belly, then it raised its head, and roared.

The girl had taken notice.

* * *

><p>Time: 2:37 PM<p>

Location: Tokyo, Japan.

Date: February 23rd, 0001 I.E.

Pieces of rock and debris fell as the ceiling shook, and everyone in shelter huddled a little closer. Families and friends gathered together in small clumps, hugging each other tighter as they prayed for their safety. An explosion could be heard coming from the conflict above, and a little girl began to cry, unable to take the pressure any longer.

Kuroi Kurenai shut her eyes and hugged her children tighter, as if she was afraid they would slip away at the first chance they got. The woman's short brown hairy was filthy and dirty, as was her scratch ridden face and body. All she had on was the T-shirt she wore to bed and a pair of backwards pants that had been thrown on in a hurry. Kuroi Hiro buried his face all the harder into the stomach of her white shirt, not caring at how "unmanly" this action was. The ten year old was too scared to care at the moment, and his body trembled far to violently to be simply from the cold, which was all the more acute when he was in nothing but his pajamas.

Kuroi Mato shivered just as violently as her brother, and she nervously clung to the only family she had. The sweatshirt she'd slept in kept her from feeling the cold, but that did not matter now. Her sapphire eyes were fixed on the spider web cracks that adorned the ceiling, the four feet of cement between them and the outside world. Well-concealed fear danced at the edges of those blue orbs, and she had to swallow a whimper at the next shudder. She had to be strong; she couldn't let her mother or brother know that she was scared. She was their pillar of strength, and pillars of strength did not crumble to things like fear.

Mato licked her lips nervously, glancing down at the watch wrapped around her brother's left wrist. Ten hours. The attack had been going on for ten hours. Mato knew that there was little hope left, if had taken the army this long to beat the enemy, it was unlikely they ever would.

The next time the room shook, a large piece of the ceiling was dislodged, and it crashed down not far from where they were, crushing the family underneath it, no one made a sound, the whole family was already dead, or as good as. Mato just stared at it in mute silence, to gripped with fear to move. That could have been them, if they had sat there when this whole thing began, that would have been them. She tightened her grip all the more, and buried her face in her mother's neck, unable to maintain her strength.

The room was filled with a loud cracking, and all eyes turned towards its source, where a long crack had appeared near the edge of the ceiling. The crack wasn't large, and it wasn't wide, but light pored through it, only to be blocked out a second later by some large creature. Its heavy breathing echoed throughout the shelter, the soft rattle of its exhalations and inhalations sending chills down the spines of many.

The crunching of lose pavement could be heard as it shifted its weight, and the ceiling shook again. The crunching grew more prominent, and large, saw edged claws pried their way into the crack. Red drops of blood dripped from the black tips, forming a small pool on the floor.

Everyone froze, staring in horrified fascination at the beast they would soon see. The crack widened, and soon a second pair of claws joined the first. As more and more of the talons became visible, ebony black gradually faded into ruby red. Mato belatedly realized that some of the red was its actual color, not just a dye from the liquid covering them. Now, with a firm grip on either side, the beast pushed all the more, until the crack was wide enough fit its thin head through.

It looked like a cross between a feline and a serpent. Its dusty red scales were smooth and streamline, elegantly framing a pair of raging yellow, slit pupiled eyes. Its snout was short and thin, with large, cat like fangs curling from either side of its upper lips. Broad, muscular shoulders could be seen at the end of the thick, stubby neck, framed by the unwanted sunlight. The monster opened its maw, and roared. The roar was reminiscent to that of lion's, fearsome and terrible. Those closest to the exit rushed for it, pushing each other aside as they struggled through. But the Kuroi family just stayed where they were, watching the ominous figure with blank, fear filled eyes. They were the farthest from the door.

Mato knew, with absolute certainty, that they were going to die. The invasion had started over a year ago, and there had never once been a case of the monsters willingly letting people live or escape, even if it cost them their own lives. And this one was looking right at them, its lips pulled back in feral grin. It opened its mouth, taking in a deep, deep breath…before letting it out in a gushing inferno.

Mato's mind went blank as the flames raced towards them, all she could do was stare in utter terror at what was coming. It was different for Kurenai, who barely had time to fling her son and daughter behind the pillar ten feet away from her. She knew she wouldn't have been able to run behind it in time, so she decided to save her children instead, using her adrenaline infused muscles to do what she couldn't normally.

Mato's stared in horror at where the flames roared past from her new position, barbecuing everything in their path. She couldn't see it, but the beast started to rotate its head, swiveling around to burn everyone in its path. When the flames had passed, and were pointing in the opposite direction, towards the door, the remains of the dead were revealed. Ash. Not even the cement under which many had just sat remained, all of it had been turned to ash. The fifteen year old's eyes darted about frantically, trying to find the impossible proof that her mother had survived.

She heard the pained cries of agony that were quickly cut short, and Hiro's frightened whimper, but she didn't care. She could only stare, pleading to every deity in heaven or hell that her mother had survived, that she wouldn't abandon them like dad had. But, of course, no such miracle happened.

The debris that littered the floor crunched as the monster lowered itself into the shelter, and Mato frantically clamped a hand over her brother's mouth, stifling any sound of terror he could have made. She was terrified, sad, and miserable, but she wasn't about to let either of them die. The creature began to lumber about, its large bulk making it impossible to hide its movement, sniffing the air around it. As quietly as she could, the fifteen year old raised herself to her feet, keeping a tight hold of her brother.

She heard it begin moving to her right, and she peaked around the left corner, catching a glimpse of its hindquarters as it stalked out of sight, its scaly, cat like tail swishing lazily behind it. She hurried after it making sure to keep the steel pillar between her and it. She fought the instinct to lean against the scorching steel, knowing that the half liquid metal would only burn her.

Cautiously, she took another glance around the corner, just in time to see it inhale, its head shoved through the door. She ducked back as it breathed out, the heat wave traveling back all the way to where they hid. After breathing those flames for over a minute, she heard it let out a contented grunt, and turn. The black haired girl ducked back to where she had first hidden, allowing the beast to haul itself up through the crack.

She and her brother waited in tense silence for a long time, waiting for it to return and finish them off. They did their best not to make a sound, hardly daring to breathe for fear of what their raspy breaths might bring. Finally, the twintailed girl collapsed, her mind numb from the after affects of terror and sorrow. Hiro took this as his queue to start sobbing quietly. He buried his face in his sister's sweater, stifling the already quiet sounds. Mato absent mindedly patted the back of his head, not really concerned with giving him comfort. Her eyes stared blankly in the general direction of where her mother had been, her damaged soul feeling hollow and emotionless.

She knew she should be sad, that she should be crying at the loss of her mother, but the tears wouldn't come. All she felt was, confusion. Why did this happen, why did they come here, why did they have to kill her mother?

But she knew it had been coming, she knew it been coming since what had been coined "the prophesized day" had appeared on the news. The enemy had covered the United States in just four months, although it had taken another two to completely entrench themselves in it. And the rest of North America had fallen in the following six. She knew that they would get to Japan soon, it was only slightly out of their way if they traveled through the Bering Strait, as they did.

She knew they were coming, but she had squashed that fear with false reassurances. They were just monsters, they had no sense of geography, and they wouldn't know that Russia was just twenty five miles from Alaska. Even if they did, she had told herself, there was no way they could cross it.

When a very, very large number of them, numbering in the hundreds of millions, did just that, she had told herself that the Japanese government would pull something amazing out of their asses, and she was ecstatic when it was announced that three Ivan Bombs, the ones that the Soviet Union used in '61, would be dropped on Cape Dezhnev, where they had stopped after their crossing. But it had been a false hope, the things were like cockroaches, their bodies tough enough to handle the shockwave, and their anatomy immune to the resultant radiation. That isn't to say that those close to ground zero didn't die, but the ratio of monsters dead to bombs used was ridiculous, scientists estimated that the amount of bombs required to stop the westward invasion would have made _three _earths uninhabitable. The worst part was that an invasion force about half its size was making its way through South America.

At that point, two months ago, she had just pushed all thoughts of the oncoming wave of doom out of her mind, hoping that everything would just go away, like many Japanese. Now, they were paying for their foolishness with their lives.

* * *

><p>Time: 5:43 PM<p>

Location: Saitama, Japan.

Date: February 23rd, 0001 I.E.

A lone girl walked through the destroyed streets, a dirty, tattered blanket over her shoulders. She placed one tattered shoe in front of the other, willing herself to keep moving, ignoring the pain that lanced up her right leg when ever she put her weight on it. The buildings burned all around her, and she heard a few faint, desperate cries for help, but she ignored them. She leaned heavily on the twisted, half melted, metal pole she had found on the ground. It looked like it might have held a street sign at one time, but it was impossible to be sure.

Her platinum blond, almost white, hair fell about her shoulders, having lost the hair bands she used to keep it in its twintails. Her breath came ragged as she went, as if she would fall over at a moment's notice. Her hazel-red eyes stared unseeingly in the distance as she went.

The attack had happened early last night, around six or seven in the afternoon, and when most of the city had been raised, they had moved south, heading towards Tokyo. That was the direction she was heading now, she didn't know why, only that something was pulling her there. It was…not a longing exactly, but something similar to it, almost as if she needed to be there. Something was calling her there.

She was nearing the southern most edge of the city, and she felt her strength beging to wane. Her body felt so sluggish, so…heavy. She wanted to lie down, just lie down, close her eyes, and let the sweet abyss of nothingness consume her. It sounded so…nice, so…peaceful, that she almost did just that. But the sensation in the back of her mind wouldn't let her, it told her that she had to-

As her thoughts wandered, her right foot tripped on a piece of torn up asphalt. Her weak, tired body didn't stand a chance against gravity. Her small body fell to the torn road. But before it could land on the hard, unforgiving ground, littered with sharp and dangerous pieces of debris, a pair of strong arms caught her.

She raised her head slightly, and saw a member of the SAT, wearing riot gear, staring down at her. Her vision seemed to be going black for some reason. She faintly saw his lips move, but it was as if he was speaking through a glass window. She heard the word "name" and licked her cracked lips with her dry tongue. She tried to swallow, but her throat was too sore and it was painful. She managed to rasp out her name, but it took a colossal effort.

"Shiroi…Nuguu…"

…and then she fainted.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

* * *

><p>So? What do you think? Yes, I realized that I should work on my other two stories, but I lost the feel for them. Its like I wrote them just to get their ideas out of my head, but had no idea as to where they were going. I want to hear your thoughts on this, and no, I don't have the other chapters done, but I will try to update on a weekly or biweekly basis. Please review! :3.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Ok, so here is chapter two, I'm sorry for the late chapter, but I had writers block on the third segment, and I didn't want to post it at such a short length as one that ended at two segments. Now, fair warning, there is the slightest bit of yuri in this chapter, it's nothing more then a kiss, but I just thought I should warn in advance. There will be other mentions of yuri as the story progresses, but they will all be easily swallowable. So, go and read the story, and don't forget to Favorite this story and review! And just for fun, see if you can find the significance of some of the symbolism I use in here.

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Sorrow and Survival<p>

Time: 9:09 PM

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Date: February 23rd, 0001 I.E.

Mato stuck her head around the door, taking a quick glance at the one room apartment, before nodding to herself. No man eating monsters here. She pushed the door open, stepping in as quietly as she could. Hiro followed right behind her, head hung low. He made no effort to quiet his movements, and his sister winced as a lose floor board creaked loudly.

The room was a mess, the door she had just opened was badly scratched and damaged, what was once a couch had been torn in two, a refrigerator lay on its side, what little of its contents that hadn't been eaten having spilled onto the floor, and a TV sat in one corner, its screen smashed just like the glass of the lone window. It was obvious the apartment had once been a combination of kitchen, dinning room, and bedroom. She walked over to the door to the bathroom, and found it utterly destroyed, either that or it wasn't even a bathroom. So much for taking a bath, she thought to herself.

She walked back to where her brother sat listlessly on a torn cushion in front of a coffee table, where the blue eyed girl had set their "groceries". They were really just an assortment of various foods plus a few other things they had nicked from a half destroyed Seven-Eleven along the way. They had waited in the shelter for the sounds of battle to fade, and a while longer, just to be safe. When they'd emerged from the shelter, it was to find a destroyed Tokyo city. Destroyed buildings and corpses lay everywhere, as if a child had thrown a tantrum on top of his lego city. Most of the bodies were human, but a few monster lay here or there. Most of them were small though, dog sized, really.

They had then started searching for a place where they could sleep, or rather, Mato had searched, (Hiro was still out of it) and had found this apartment building conveniently across from the afore mentioned Seven-Eleven.

The fifteen year old sat to Hiro's right, and forced a smile onto her face. Her brother was obviously hurting, and she had to be strong for his sake. "Well!" she said in an overly chipper voice, "We have food, and I'm sure there are some clothes in that dresser over there," she pointed to a toppled wardrobe that was missing a leg and its corresponding side, "So for now, lets eat."

She reached into the bag and pulled out two of the bento's she had taken, as well as two sets of wooden chopsticks, and placed one in front of her brother and the other in front of herself. They would have to conserve those, no point in carrying around extra utensils when you could just reuse them. Clapping her hands together, she called out "Itadakimasu!" and separated her chopsticks, proceeding to chow down on the food.

After a few bites of the not-good-but-not-bad food, Mato realized that her brother hadn't even touched his food. Placing her lunch back on the table, she turned to the brunet, and saw tears were beginning to well up in his eyes. She took a glance at the container…and immediately felt like kicking herself. Their mom hadn't been the best of cooks, at least when it came to making a good Bento, so she would give them store bough lunches every day instead. The box she had given to Hiro was of the same brand as the ones that Kurenai would give to them every morning.

Mato placed on a hand his shoulder, and he looked at her wordlessly. She met his eyes with her own, a kind, caring smile on her face. The boy began to tear up all the harder, and buried his face in his sister's chest, allowing his sobs to ring forth. The teenager pulled him closer, placing her right hand on top of his head and her left on his back. She began to murmur sweet nothings to him, comforting sounds that told him it was ok, that they would pull through this. She felt the same kind of pain he was going through, she wanted to cry just as hard as he was right now, but she was the big sister, and he needed someone to protect him and make him feel at least somewhat safe, so she firmly sat on all the tears that wanted to come spilling out, and continued to comfort her brother.

After some time, he fell asleep, the tears slowly halting their flow. Mato picked him up and walked over to the half destroyed bed. The legs were broken, and there was a large rip in the side of the mattress, but it was possible to sleep in it. She laid Hiro in it, pulling the covers up around him. She had never tucked someone in before, it felt…odd, like it still wasn't her time to be doing this.

She walked back over to the coffee table where the bentos sat. She'd realized that it was really just a slab of wood, one end torn off, but it didn't really matter. She placed both lunches back in the bag, making sure to close the lid of her half eaten one. She had only grabbed a few bentos, and the rest were energy bars, rice balls, and other nonperishable. Also, the bentos she had grabbed were all vegetarian, so they were devoid of meat and other kinds of food that would go bad quickly.

With that done Mato curled up on the half destroyed couch, pulling the blankets she had found in the closet tighter around her. She tried to fall asleep but she couldn't. The day had been to hectic, and now, in the quite night, when nothing was there to distract her, it all came spilling forth. All of the emotions she experienced as the day wore on, all the pain, fear, and grief that had been pushed to the back of her mind spilled forth. She curled into a smaller ball, her arms fiercely wrapped around her legs. Tears dribbled down the left side of her face, and a strangled sob made it past her throat. She was in so much pain, she was so scarred, and she was so, so sad. She felt like the world was weighing down on her, and that soon she would be crushed by it.

"Mom…why?" her voice cracked.

The world had no answer for her. It just went on, the stars twinkling in the night sky.

* * *

><p>Time: 10:27 AM<p>

Location: Saitama, Japan.

Date: February 24th, 0001 I.E.

Shiroi Nuguu was normally slow to wake. The pounding headache she had most certainly didn't help. Nor did the fact that every bone in her body screamed with every move she made. She lay there, silently wishing for the pain to just stop. The sounds of various conversations murmuring in the background, only faint snatches of them reaching her.

"Mama…why are you crying?…where's Papa?"

"…mag. I had to empty a few on that sprite swarm yesterday and now I'm running low..."

"…I'm so glad you're alright."

"We'll go to my cousin's house in Australia, there's no way…"

"…fifty sprites, dozen or so sniffers, and I think I heard a shredder…" Most of what followed was missed as she tried to roll over, only to be rewarded by a searing, white hot pain. She tried to suppress the groan that followed, but wound up letting out a loud, if slightly muffled moan.

A few seconds later, she heard foot steps heading in her direction. She heard a voice say, "Easy there, you were hurt pretty bad." She cracked her eyes slightly, and saw an old man standing above her.

His short, grey hair was receding, but it wasn't to noticeable. Wire rim glasses framed chestnut, wisdom filled eyes. His mouth was stretched in a kind smile, the laugh lines on his face deepened by the many wrinkles.

The man's hair was short, and the grey strands had receded past the top of his forehead. His face was speckled with the signs of age, but it wasn't an unpleasant or gross sight. Chestnut eyes stared down at her, glimmering with kindness and warmth. Nuguu tried to speak, but all that came out was a pained moan. The man placed his left hand under her head and lifted her up, putting his right before her mouth. On it were a few medicine tablets, "Here, its Tylenol, it'll dull the pain."

The blond absently opened her mouth, allowing the man to tip the pills into her mouth, and she swallowed the water that was then pressed against her lips. The man smiled and nodded at her, "That's better." He lowered her back down into a resting position. "I'm Doctor Fujimoto Tetsuo, I'm sure you have many questions, but those will have to wait, we won't be able to stay here much longer."

With that, Doctor Tetsuo turned and walked away, not before sending her an apologizing glance, to where two men in SAT gear argued. The blond was starting to come out of her stupor, and she realized that she was lying on a table, a blanket pulled over her to give some semblance of warmth. She was in the remains of the entrance of an office building, the table she was laying on pushed against the back wall, near the elevators. The elevator closest to her, standing just past of the foot of her bed, had had its doors torn off, sparks falling from the torn wiring at regular intervals. The receptionist's desk, situated to her left, had been broken in two, leaving the mahogany and marble in shatters. The furniture that had been placed for visitors was torn up, but they were in useable condition. The room was large, easily able to hold the roughly twenty people inside it. They all looked down cast, sad, or worse. Everyone bore at least two injuries of varying severity. One woman sat on a half destroyed couch, and sobbed uncontrollably into her hands, a little girl no older than six innocently asking her what was wrong. A family of a father, mother, one teenager and two preteens embraced each other tightly.

Over by the door she saw a group of men and women, some of them wearing SAT gear while others just wore traditional police uniforms. But all of them were loading bullets into the guns they were holding. She wasn't sure what kinds they were exactly, but most of them were holding assault riffles or submachine guns, while two had shotguns and another had a sniper rifle. All of them had a handgun strapped to their waist. Once they were finished, they all glanced to one man. Nuguu didn't know what his rank was, being unfamiliar with the ranking badges, but she assumed he was their leader. The man nodded, and he and the ten other people hurried out the door.

As she turned away, she saw Doctor Tetsuo heading back to her, wiping his brow with a paper napkin. When he met her eyes, a forced smile spread across his face, "Hey now, get up," he said, gently pulling her off the table to stand on her feet. The girl swayed for a few seconds, but was firmly caught by the doctor, who continued to kindly smile at her. "The BMEs are on their way here, so we're moving to try and find another safe place."

BME, Bio-Mechanical Extraterrestrial. That was what the Americans had called the invaders at the beginning of the invasion, before contact with them was lost. They were aptly named, as the majority of the things had mechanical limbs or enhancements of some kind. Nuguu shuddered at the memory, the mental image of those horrible, unnatural things tearing through humans as if they were nothing scaring her. She nodded to the doctor, allowing him to support her to where the soldiers had gathered up the other refugees.

* * *

><p>Time: 11:33 AM<p>

Location: Saitama, Japan.

Date: February 24th, 0001 I.E.

Gun fire echoed through the streets of Saitama, accompanied by unearthly snarls, roars, and screeches. Nuguu ran down one of the back alleyways of the city, following the fleeing civilians and what few of their guards remained. She anxiously looked back over her shoulder, to where a few SAT members covered their retreat. The two men were emptying their guns into the oncoming sprite swarm at a furious rate, but were met with little success.

Sprites were the most common of BMEs, and were weakest of them, but that was only in relative terms. They were small and thin, standing just bellow waist height for a full grown man. Their body structure resembling that of a raptor, two powerful running legs, thin, beak like snouts, and short arms that could grip onto something very tightly. Their skin was a leathery grey color, and the machines that were smoothly integrated into their legs made them as fast as hell. They typically traveled in large groups, making them a pain to deal with, since taking one down made little difference. Wide area weapons, like grenades, or point-blank-can't-miss weapons, such as shotguns, were pretty effective. However, the soldiers had run out of those a while ago.

Nuguu turned and continued down the street as one of the monsters leapt at the soldiers, coming dangerously close to making contact before being pumped full of lead. She skidded to a halt as she turned the corner to be met with a handful people staring at the collapsed ruins of an office building blocking their path. Not many of them were left, just a few soldiers, a young man, and the mother and daughter she had seen earlier in the day. Doctor Tetsuo had been one of the first to go, being unable to keep up with them at his age.

The blonde's eyes widened in panic, and she frantically looked about for a path of escape. There were none. The sound of gunfire coming from behind her stopped, and she hurriedly looked to her right, back the way she had come. At the other end of the alley, she saw twenty or so sprites bent over something, their tails waging viciously as the sounds of flesh tearing and bones snapping filled the air. One them paused in its feast, and looked to where the teenager stood, blood smeared across its snout. It's gold orbs locked with her maroon ones for a brief second, the short frill on top of its head rose to its full height.

It let out a warbling shriek at the instant she sprinted past where the others stood motionless. She was no athlete, by any means, but at that moment neither she nor her body cared. She rushed to the pile of ruble and instantly began to climb it heedless of the startled cries of the others or of the sprites as they came into their view. She gripped the edge of a broken block of concrete and levered herself over it. She scrambled onto the its jagged surface and rushed forward, moving as if it was a jungle gym as she hurried to the other end. Her exposed skin was covered in scrapes, burses, and cuts as she hurried through, but she didn't care. The only thing that mattered was surviving.

Her progress came to a halt as she arrived at the main structure of the building. It was relatively whole, the impact it had experienced being cushioned by the building before it. She quickly began to scramble up it, gripping at broken window edges or places where ruble had fallen out. But no matter where she grasped, her hands always came away bloodier. A scream from bellow encouraged her look down. Only two of the soldiers were left, and they stood with their backs pressed to the building as they tried to hold off the sprites swarming towards them. Not to far from them, the corpse of the woman and her daughter were being gleefully torn into by a handful of the raptor like monsters.

Nuguu turned away, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. This is what the world has become, the only thing she could do was move on. Move on and survive. She gritted her teeth and continued to ascend, not even flinching as the gunfire ceased, its last echoes reverberating through the street. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she reached the top of the building. Its surface was almost flat, a lucky break that she was more than thankful for. Exhausted, she laid on one of the strips of concrete that marked the transition of floors, taking in greedy lungs full of air. She didn't care for how bloody her hands were, or for the danger of infection they possessed, it wasn't like she could do anything about it.

Although she had been sleeping just hours before, she felt herself slowly slip back into exhaustion. Something in the back of her head told her that it was due to the lose of blood, as well as the aftereffects of long hours of adrenaline. She ignored it, believing it unimportant, and instead she welcomed the realm of unconsciousness with open arms.

* * *

><p>Time: Unknown<p>

Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown

Black trees stood tall and menacing, their white, scythe like needles daring any to approach. To the west of the forest was a wide ocean, its waters tainted the bloodiest of reds. Separating the two was a canyon that stretched north and south as far as the eyes could see, the hazel stone seeming to shimmer in the daylight. It was the only thing that interrupted the plains of grey grass to the south, upon which traveled an assortment of creatures. To the far north rose mountains of intimidating sizes and of drab greens, they seemed to tear into the skies above. Half of the sky was pure white, its infinite purity seeming to stretch on forever. The other half was the blackest of nights, unmarked by even the tiniest of stars. But non these sights would ever draw the eye. What was given that honor were the two sole celestial bodies that graced the heavens. The sun, a bright, blazing maroon, that dwelled in its world of white. The moon, a pale, chilling sapphire, that hovered in its realm of black. The flames of the two danced around their hosts, moving in tandem with the beat of the world.

Something was not right with the world, this, both of the heavenly viewers knew. They had never seen each other before, nor had they ever been supposed to. They had always hidden themselves from each other, forever staying behind the bulk that was the world. But now, not only had they seen their opposites for the first time, they were now inexplicably drawn together. Their dearest of partners, their most hated of enemies. The most worthless existence to them, their most valued treasure. The one who they would avoid at all cost, the one who they were constantly drawn to.

A lone, black clad figure gazed up at these two bodies, a faint smirk on her lips. Her eyes, the brightest of topazes, never wavered from the mightiest of beings of her world. A black crown sat on top of her head, titled to the side ever so slightly, and across her shoulders was draped a cloak of a thick, black, and heavy cloth. Yet to her it was as if there was no burden at all. She stood on top of a mighty castle, a black structure that reached high into the infinite sky. Its gothic spires rose as high as they could, trying to outdo their brothers, much to the frustration of their supports: the onyx beams that wove amongst each other, groaning as their charges attempted to break free of their hold.

The woman, too, knew that something was wrong with her world, in fact, she knew exactly what it was. She chuckled at the memory, elegantly raising a hand to her mouth, the inborn aristocracy seeming to ooze off her. She glanced down to the base of her mighty palace, at the beast that had once guarded it so long ago. The dragon's long, black body was coiled around what was once its charge, its rough, craggy head resting besides the gate. From between its eyes rose a formidable broadsword, its blade nearly a foot across from edge to edge. The beast should have decomposed long ago, its life having ended, but the woman forbade Dead Master from claiming what was now rightfully hers, and she kept it there as a souvenir.

The sound of footsteps rung out on the metal floor behind her, before stopping a good distance away, followed by the light rustling of cloth. The woman turned to see one of her most trusted aids kneeling there, her head bowed in silent fealty. The girl was young, her appearance suggesting that she had only just started to mature. Acid green hair stopped just short of her chin, the strands fluffing out to the sides. Two small, vertebrae like horns jutted out from her head, the black bones standing straight in the air, like the ears of some woodland animal. From the middle of her back sprouted two, wing like protrusion, although it was only a lose resemblance. She wore a simple, black tank top that stopped just above her naval and matching bloomers. On her right leg was a black boot that stopped just past her ankle, looking out of place with its partner missing.

"Speak," said the woman, her gaze falling imperiously upon her charge. Her voice was silky smooth, and it cause a tremor of desire to travel through the girl's body.

"Lady Dragon Slayer, she who rules this land, she who has never once been defeated, she who has destroyed the countless numbers of her enemies, she whose followers live by her grace alone, she who is indomitable, she who rules the world, I bear a message for you."

Dragon Slayer, for that is who the queenly woman was, nodded, and although her aid could not see her, the girl continued, as if she had known that the nod had been given. "Our forces continue to ravage the human world, but no progress has been made. The Scions have still not been found, and the general of fire is growing impatient. We fear that if she does not see results soon, she will take those who follow her and rebel, although if that were to happen, the outcome is obvious."

Dragon Slayer chuckled, closing her eyes in delight at the young one's love. She had bred the girl and her sisters well, shaping them into the perfect tools. They were so loyal that even when they saw the possibilities of her defeat, they pushed them away, knowing that their lady had planned for it. "Not quite," the killer of dragons said, running her right hand through her hair, "There is one way that impetuous girl could stand a chance against me, however slim it may be." The girl did not react, she knew her mistress well, and the green haired girl reveled in the way her ruler, her everything, would tell her the plans she had.

"That girl never really liked me, and she only swore fealty for the sake of survival. Now she thinks that if she can take the Scions for herself, she can stand a chance against me. Don't you agree, little Shibou?" Shibou nodded fervently, wanting to hear her mistress talk more, wanting to hear the plans she had made, desiring everything the great queen would give her.

Dragon Slayer smiled, "But I am afraid that that girl's wish will go up in the smoke she is so fond of, for the Scions cannot be bound, even by me." Shibou froze, and couldn't help but glance at her queen, disbelief crossing her face. She turned her gaze down just as quickly, praying that her mistress hadn't seen her lapse in composure. Her fears were confirmed when she felt a light hand placed on her chin, and it guided her to meet the eyes of her queen.

The killer of dragons was smiling faintly, "My dear Shibou, there is no need to be so afraid of disgracing yourself in front of me, for I knew that you would react so." She brought the girl's head forward ever so slightly, meeting her servants lips in a brief, chaste kiss. She moved away leaving the blushing girl there, walking towards the edge of the balcony, looking back to where the sun and moon perpetually hanged in the sky, a faint smile on her lips.

"In the end, everything reacts as I know they will," she told them.

[TO BE CONTINUED]

* * *

><p>So, what are your thoughts? Like it? Dislike it? I don't care, just tell me your opinions, please. Also, you must favorite this, it is that good a story that you must favorite it! I will try to be better with my next update, and Happy Holidays!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Awakening

Time: 11:19 PM

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Date: February 24th, 0001 I.E.

Mato carefully sipped from the water bottle, making sure to take only a few mouthfuls. When she was done, she passed it to Hiro, who began to greedily drink from it. She stopped him almost immediately, telling him that they had to conserve their water. He looked like he wanted to argue, but acquiesced, slipping the bottle into their bag after capping it.

Slinging the camping bag over her shoulder, the black haired girl took her brother's hand and resumed their trek through the city. It was a bit dangerous, especially since a few of the BMEs were still rummaging through the city, looking for survivors. But she had deemed staying put, where their scent would collect and permeate the air, posed a greater danger. If one of the things found them while they were in a closed space like that, they were as good as dead. She was again thankful for all of those fantasy and adventure novels she had read, the advice she'd drawn from them was invaluable right now.

"Ne, Onee-chan?" said Hiro, looking at her as they walked. Since this morning, he had become more in tune with his surroundings. He was still sad and depressed (and it showed) but at least wasn't mindlessly following her around anymore. "Why are we heading north again?"

Mato didn't answer right away, lifting herself onto a large block of cement and pulling her brother up after her. In all honesty, she wasn't that sure herself. She had just chosen north on a whim, but when she thought about it, it felt like she wanted to go in that direction. It was as if something was…pulling her that way. Well, not pulling exactly, more like it was the only direction she could walk without focusing on walking. After thinking it over for a few minutes, she shrugged, giving her brother a fake smile. "The monsters go south, we go north," she said simply.

They continued to travel in silence, interrupted solely by the crunch of ruble under their feet. At one point they heard the sound of gunfire in the far distance, accompanied by faint shouts and snarls. They had hurried on as fast as they could, making as little noise as possible. The sun had already set, yet they kept marching, hoping that they found somewhere to rest soon.

Finally, Mato deemed they had made enough progress for today, and so she began looking for a place they could hide.

She froze when a hissing snarl came from behind them, her blood turning to ice.

Mato swallowed nervously, cautiously glancing over her shoulder as she did. Standing behind them was one of the smaller monsters. She couldn't remember what it was called exactly, a sprig or something, but she didn't really care. All that mattered was that the little raptor like creature was staring at them with its large, golden orbs. It's lips were spotted with a muddy brown substance, and the girl knew that it was dried blood. A thin tongue snuck out from between those lips, licking along the surface of its jaw, flecks of the blood crumbling to the ground as it did. She felt Hiro grip at her sweatshirt in fear, too scared to move a single muscle.

For the next few moments, silence reigned, the only noise being that of the wind echoing mournfully through empty streets. Both predator and prey knew not to act rashly, or the outcome could be unfavorable to them. The monster's tail twitched, and Mato was off like a bullet.

Hiro was clutched to her chest in an iron grip, the boy's legs instinctively wrapping about her waist as he fisted her sweatshirt. The monster let out a furious warble, and took off after them, its claws digging furrows within the still intact pavement. Similar cries echoed from either side of the street, and in mere moments, more of the things had appeared from various alleyways and buildings, until five of them were chasing after the Kuroi siblings.

Everything was a blur for Mato, the broken buildings seeming to meld into a solid, shapeless mass in the night, and the bright path of the milky way was becoming a uniform silver. Her mind was occupied by only one thought, flight. She wanted to get as far away from those things as possible.

As the terrified girl ran, her black basketball shoes began to spark when they impacted the ground, bright blue embers shooting out from them every time they slammed into the pavement. Soon, the shoes caught fire, and ice blue flames began to consume them. But they did not harm the wearer, despite the fact that the flames had crept up to just bellow her knees, and nor did she notice them. The monsters saw this, but did not care, for their prey was gaining speed, and they would _not_ let their meal escape them.

After a few minutes of frantic running, ducking between alleyways, and skidding around corners, Mato reached cut into her latest shortcut, only to find that it was a dead end. A building flanked them on either side, while a tank lay on its side across the exit, having been knocked over in yesterday's chaos. She turned to flee, but saw that the monsters - sprites, she remembered, that's what they were called - had already blocked off the entrance. The flames surrounding her feet, still unnoticed by her or her brother, sputtered and died, leaving behind a pair of knee-high boots. The heels were an icy blue, as cold and lonely as the moon, while the boots themselves were the darkest of blacks, as if they themselves were the infinite void of space.

The black haired girl backed into the alley, stopping only when her back came into contact with the tank. The sprites crept toward them slowly, low, warbling hisses emanating from their throats, eyes gleaming with an unearthly hunger. Mato set Hiro down on the ground and pushed him behind her in what she knew was a vain attempt at protecting him. Her eyes darted from side to side, frantically searching for some way out.

There was none, she realized. They were trapped, unable to climb over the tank behind them, and most certainly unable to force their way through the monsters in front of them. The only hope they had was for a quick death, but by the animal gleam in the sprites' eyes, she knew they preferred live meals.

The lead sprite stepped forward, and the eldest Kuroi took a step back, her foot clattering against something as she did. She glanced down, her eyes - cold with the fear of death - coming to rest upon a broken piece of concrete, roughly twice the size of her fist, for a brief second before flicking back up towards the monsters. She bent down slowly, blindly groping for it. Maybe if she smashed in one of their skulls with a well aimed throw, the sprites would descend upon their fallen brother. But she knew that they wouldn't, why go for the thin, stringy, unmoving body when they had two much meatier and still living meals in front of them? But she was going to try, and with some luck she might be able to save Hiro, somehow.

Her hand grasped the rough concrete and she stood. She pulled her arm back, muscles coiling as she prepared to throw, the object seeming to warm in her hands as she did. She began to deliver the stone, her gaze flickering to her hand as she did. What she saw startled her, to the point where she stumbled, and the stone flew through the air in a lazy arc, leaving a icy trail of blue flames in its wake.

Mato felt some unknown instinct take over her, even as she watched the flaming rock sail through the air. She spun on her heel, placing her back to the alley as she wrapped her arms around Hiro, pulling him close to her body, and shielding him from what she did not know.

She heard the sprites his in triumph, seeing this as their chance to strike. Claws scrapped against the ground as the first of the things launched itself into the air, wails of victory tearing themselves from their masters' throats like frightened animals, echoing and reverberating off the walls. Amidst all of that noise, the sound of the concrete piece making contact with the ground was all but lost.

…and the world exploded in a brilliant flash of blue fire.

* * *

><p>Time: 6:58 AM<p>

Location: Saitama, Japan.

Date: February 25th, 0001 I.E.

"Wake up!" came a distant voice, wafting through the fog of unconsciousness. Nuguu rolled over in response to the voice, curling up in reaction to the slight chill she felt. The blanket must have fallen off during the night. She blindly reached for it, trying to return warmth to her limbs. "Five more minutes…" she muttered.

"You've been sleeping long enough already, so wake up!" came the voice again, clearer this time.

_Oh great,_ Nuguu thought to herself, still searching for the blanket _I'm waking up, I don't want to go to sch-_. Her thoughts stopped dead when her hand came into contact with glass…That wasn't right, why would a glass surface be placed at bed level next to her, and parallel to the ground at that?

"Oh for the love of the Mines, WAKE UP!" came the voice again, smashing through the fog of sleep with the force of an earthquake. For a second, the girl wondered if there really was one going on, she was being shaken hard enough for that to be plausible. Maroon eyes flew open, only to be confronted with bright orange ones.

"Hi there!" said the voice, whose source was the five foot tall girl standing in front of the blond. Said blond stared in open amazement at the one who had just woken up, even as memories of the past few days came back to her.

Her guest, who was also the one that had shaken her awake, had tanned skin that looked grey in the pre-dawn light. She wore a black, sleeveless hoodie, and a black muffler with a white flame design. On her right breast, stichedf into the fabric with white string instead of just pasted on, was a square, four fingered fist. She had black stockings that ended in thick, one inch ringlets around her ankles, and…poles for feet. But that wasn't the creepiest part, not nearly. Behind the girl swung a narrow, vertebrae like tail, and where her elbows should have been were two gigantic metal fists.

"'Bout time you woke up," said the girl, seemingly oblivious to her…oddities. "But I gotta say, I was surprised to find another Vanguard out here, I thought I was the only one assigned to this area, but hey, any help with keeping the animals in line is fine by me, what's your name?" and it all came out in one breath.

To say that Nuguu was caught flat footed was an understatement to say the least, and so the only response she could muster was a faint "…um…"

"Oh right, where are my manners," said the girl, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face, yet she continued without missing a beat, "I'm Strength, a Captain of Metal, now you."

"Uh…" Nuguu stuttered, "Sh-Shiroi…Nuguu…"

"And? Rank and type?" asked Strength almost immediately after Nuguu had finished. When no answer was forth coming, due to the blond girl's obvious nervousness, the metal limbed girl sighed, "Oh, come on! I've given you mine, its protocol to follow up with yours."

"…It is?" asked the blond, still unsure of what the hell was going on.

"Oh I get it!" said Strength, slamming her right fist into her open palm as realization dawned, "You must be an Acid, which explains you lack of weapons and why you don't trust me, don't know why you guys are so suspicious, I mean you _can_ feel that my flame is an Existence's, but I'll prove it anyway." She placed her right thumb and middle finger (she only had three besides the thumb) together, and snapped them, the fleshy sound, which did not match their source at all, reverberating through the silence.

…And in her open palm appeared a ball of black, metallic fire. It looked like a wrought iron sculpture of fire, yet it was moving. Not like how toy robots move, with static and linear movements, but like how actual fire moved, twisting in quick and elaborate patterns. But instead of hissing and snapping like normal fire, it was screeching and clanging.

"Well? That proof enough?" asked Strength, a smug smile on her face. Nuguu could only stare blankly at the flame, watching as iron sparks separated and floated to the floor, or building side if you're a stickler for being precise, before they vanished. The silence stretched on for a full minute, until Strength closed her fist in anger and extinguished the flame. "What is it with you?" She all but shouted, a cross look entering her face, "I've proven that I'm an Existence, I've even gone so far as to show you my flame, and there is no way in hell I'm gonna show you my hearth, seriously!" She sighed in exasperation, placing a giant metal hand to her forehead, "I mean it's not like I forgot to…" She trailed off, blinking owlishly, before a goofy smile crossed her face, small chuckles escaping her.

"Sorry 'bout that," apologized the self proclaimed 'Existence' as she smacked her own forehead, "I forgot how much a stickler you Acids are for protocol, so anyway, here's my codeword,"

That caught the girl's attention, "eh?"

But Strength kept right on going, not noticing the other blonde's confusion, "She shapes the metal to her will, forging it in the forgotten places of the Paleworld, and her tribute was the machine to cross the Border, now you!" she finished, a friendly, close-eyed smile on her face.

Nuguu was left on unsteady ground. She knew that a) this girl was unnatural in some way (the flames and metal limbs were a dead give away), b) was probably connected to the BMEs, c) had mistaken her for one of her kind for whatever reason, and d) this person was about to realize that they had made a mistake, and would probably react violently when they did. The pressure was getting to her, and so she began to nervously wring her gloved hands.

…

Wait a minute, gloved?

She looked down at her hands to find that yes, she was wearing a pair of white leather gloves, a black five-pointed star stamped on the back of the right one. From underneath the gloves stretched grey, skin tight sleeves, which stopped just before her elbows, seeming to merge with her tanned skin. She distinctly remembered _not_ wearing leather gloves when she lost consciousness, and that she had been wearing a red tank top, there was no reason for the sleeves to be there. She glanced down, just to make sure, and found to her relief that she was still wearing the same ripped shirt and the same torn white pants with red stripes, but gasped when she saw her feet. Instead of her tattered sneakers, she had on a pair of white, one inch heeled boots, that stopped at mid thigh, and the beginnings of what could be stockings rose from their tops, merging into her skin just bellow the knee. She wasn't quite sure why the semi-wardrobe change unnerved her so much, it just did, and the clothes melting into her skin didn't help at all.

"Hey," Strength said, snapping the blond out of her trance. She had an upset frown on her face, and she was glaring at Nuguu, her arms crossed in front of her non-existent bust, "Come on already, give me yours," she grated out, her anger almost palpable. Actually, the blond was pretty sure she wasn't imagining the iron flames dancing around the outline of the girl, so her anger _was_ palpable.

"Um, well…you see," she said trying in vain to get herself out of the situation she was in. She stopped when the Existence slammed her right hand into the surface of the building, cement and glass cracking under the force, "Quit fucking around!" she yelled. Scared by the robotic girl's rage, Nuguu tried to back up, but almost fell off of the building. "I know you're an Existence!" Strength continued, "Your flame just started dancing around your right _eye_ for crying out loud! The only way you could have an Existence's flame and not be one yourself is if you…were a…" she trailed off, a stunned and somewhat awestruck look on her face.

A few tense moments passed between them, filled with nothing but dead silence.

…And then Strength began laugh. She threw her head back and laughed to the heavens like a madwoman. She laughed and laughed until she had doubled over herself, strangled gasps of air coming in-between her crazed giggles. Nuguu was eyeing her with fear, and she slowly skirted down the length of the floor, trying to put as much distance between her and the insane person as possible.

Finally, after what felt like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, Strength straightened, and looked at Nuguu with a smile that was both friendly and predatory, the tear stains on her face only added to the crazed look.

"Oh I've most certainly hit the jackpot here," she said, her tongue snaking out to unconsciously wet her lips, as if the target of her attention was her a gourmet banquet. "Heck, when I turn you in, I might get promoted to Marshal, or maybe even Honor Guard, now that would be something, Strength of the Honor Guard, has a nice ring to it." As she spoke, she slowly approached Nuguu, who by this time had backed herself into a piece of still standing wall.

"I do ask that you don't resist," Strength continued, " If you do, I can't promise that I won't kill you, and believe me, neither of us want that happening, although you may prefer it if you knew what's coming." she raised her right hand, her fingers balled into a fist.

As it came down, Nuguu threw herself to her right, animalistic fear giving her new speed. The fist cracked down on the spot she had been seconds before, glass and cement crumbling behind the force. But the other hand whipped through the air, curling around Nuguu's leg in a tight, almost bone shattering grip. Strength allowed her arm's rotational momentum to swing them around, pivoting on her heal as she did, and spinning like an Olympic hammer thrower. She let go after only three rotations, allowing the human to sail through the air out over the street.

Nuguu saw the ground rushing to meet her, and threw her arms over her face even as she closed her eyes, her palms facing outwards. She saw a brief flash of red, visible even though her lids were closed, and felt her hands impact the ground. Reacting with instincts she hadn't even known she possessed, she shifted the weight on her arms so that she vaulted herself through the air, landing on both feet and her right hand as she skidded across the pavement, facing the direction she had come from.

She didn't noticed it with her eyes closed, but her legs had been, briefly, covered in red flames, and that when the flames had faded, she had undergone another wardrobe change. She was now wearing a pair of white thigh-high stalkings and white short shorts. Their black sipper was all the way down, because the shorts were a size to small, revealing a scandalous amount of skin. But she did notice that she had come out of the skid with only a few scratches, when the force behind the throw should have been enough to shatter every bone in her legs, and probably her hips as well. Heck, the fact that she had turned a probable imitation of a skipping stone into a simple skid was amazing in and of itself, let alone surviving it.

Nuguu didn't have that much time to ponder it though, for when she opened her eyes, it was to see Strength leaping off of the collapsed building, heading straight for the white clad girl, a maniacal grin on her face. The girl stood, finding herself a bit wobbly on her feet, and turned, running as fast as she could, which was pretty damn fast, she found. She had passed two intersections in only twenty seconds, and the road was filled with gravel, pieces of torn up road and chunks of buildings. But she still distinctly heard the crashes behind her that signified that Strength wasn't far behind, and she suspected that the sounds were a bit delayed due to how fast she was running.

A compelling urge to leap to the right came to her, and it was so sudden that she followed it without hesitation. As she did, she saw a black ball of fire streak past her, inches away from the side of her face, and she swore she smelled burning hair. She reached out with her right arm as the ground came to meet her, and used it to lightly propel her away from the ground even as she passed over the spot, redirecting some of her momentum while not injuring herself. This resulted in her performing a mid-air summersault for a few rotations, before her feet extended from the protective ball and contacted the ground, she took a few stumbling steps before she was off again, sprinting through the streets at an inhuman speed.

Things continued like this for some time, how much she didn't know. Nuguu running and dodging whenever she felt the urge warning her about incoming projectiles, Strength chasing after her while throwing fireballs and pieces of ruble twice her size. Eventually they reached the southern area of the city, where the buildings were smaller and many were houses. The human girl felt the urge again, and this time she vaulted herself over part of a shingled roof. The ball of fire impacted with the structure and exploded, sending debris everywhere, and a particularly big support beam was heading straight for her. She couldn't dodge it, and in all honesty she didn't believe that she would survive it, and so she instinctively closed her eyes as braced herself for the pain.

It collided with a monstrous force, sending her flying through the air and skidding along the ground, and there was another bright flare of red. Nuguu lay on the ground, clutching her stomach in pain as she coughed up magenta splatters of blood. Through the pain, she could feel alien thoughts running through her mind, thoughts such as possible routes of escape, possible ways to hide. But mostly the thoughts were on ways to murder Strength. She could eviscerate the girl with her own tail, ripped from her body and used like a whip. Or she could cut off the arms, and then just pin the girl to the ground, before subjugating her to a deliciously long and painful torture session.

She dismissed those thoughts instantly, even though she found them _so_ attractive, and decided to focus on escaping. Within seconds she had over a dozen possible routs of escape planned, and decided to go with the one that had the highest ratio of success probability to fallback scenarios. She forced herself to her feet, the pain she had been suffering minimal and non lethal, and began sprinting across the street, kicking up pieces of asphalt as she did. As soon as she reached the opposite building she began to scale it, moving up whole levels with just a pull of her arms.

She felt another twinge and pushed off of her most recent handhold with both hands, allowing her to shoot ten feet into the air and onto the roof of the building. Strength's fist crashed through where she had been seconds before, sending mortar and cement flying. But Nuguu didn't care, she had already seen Arakawa River and was making her way towards it at a furious pace, hopping the gaps between buildings like they were hopscotch squares. When she reached the road separating her block from the next, she turned right and ran down its length before crossing the divide, she continued to do this, moving in a zigzag like pattern, dodging fireballs all along the way. Her chosen path would slow her down, allowing Strength to catch up, but it was better this way.

It was obvious that the Existence relied heavily on her arms for travel, they were simply to big for easy running. So instead she would move around like a gorilla or a person on crutches, using her legs as mere resting points before throwing her arms forward to pull her along. As a result, she would build up a lot of linear momentum, and turning became a daunting proposition at such speeds. But Nuguu, with her light and nimble form, had no such limits.

She reached the last line of houses just before the river, and made another sharp right, leaping the street to a knew block. As she did this, she felt a light wind blow by her, signifying that Strength had been unable to make the turn. The following splash confirmed this.

A small, mischievous smile crossed her lips. This whole thing was _so_ much fun.


End file.
